Every Friday, seventy-year-old Eleanor took her seven-year-old granddaughter, Ellie, to Walmart. Since losing her son Daniel and Ellie’s mother three years earlier, Eleanor had been raising the little girl alone. Money was painfully tight, and some months she had to choose between her own medicine and buying Ellie something she needed. One afternoon, while walking through the candy aisle, Ellie spotted something sparkling behind a box. She reached down and pulled out a beautiful diamond ring.

For one brief moment, Eleanor imagined what selling it could solve—overdue bills, medicine, and new shoes for Ellie. Then her granddaughter looked up and quietly asked, “Do you think somebody’s crying because they lost it?” Eleanor’s temptation disappeared instantly. Moments later, a frantic woman rushed into the store searching for the ring, and Ellie happily returned it. The stranger thanked them repeatedly before leaving. Eleanor assumed that was the end of it. But the following morning, a man named Nate appeared at her door holding an old photograph. Click continue reading below